The merger creates the largest U.S. newspaper owner, bringing together about 260 daily papers, including the Arizona Republic, the Providence Journal and the Austin American-Statesman, as well as hundreds of weeklies.
GateHouse and Gannett say their $1.4 billion merger will allow GateHouse to accelerate its newspapers’ move to digital while paying down huge sums GateHouse borrowed in order to fund the acquisition. But it’s unclear exactly how it will make that happen.
GateHouse Media, a chain backed by an investment firm, is buying USA Today owner Gannett Co. for $12.06 a share in cash and stock, or about $1.4 billion. The combined company would have more than 260 daily papers in the U.S. along with more than 300 weeklies.
The Wall Street Journal reports that USA Today publisher Gannett Co. has recently held merger talks with GateHouse Media, according to people familiar with the matter, a possible deal that would bring together the nation’s two largest newspaper groups by circulation. Journal subscribers can read the full story here.
Exclusives
GateHouse Media, a boutique advertising agency headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, has renewed its agreement with Nielsen to provide behavioral insights and local TV measurement services. GateHouse had left Nielsen a […]
Revenue Coming On Smart Home Plays
Voice platforms like Amazon Echo and Google Home are opening up a new front for media companies to reach consumers. Digital executives at broadcast and newspaper groups say that making early plays there and iterating quickly to a more seamless experience will earn them an important foothold in the smart home.
GateHouse Buys Palm Beach Post, Daily News
One of the nation’s busiest acquirers of newspapers and online media has agreed to buy The Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News in a $49.25 million deal announced Wednesday.
Making News Millennials Will Want To Watch
One of the biggest challenges for news operations is stopping young consumers’ thumbs from moving from a new story to other distractions on mobile devices. Techniques that news organizations are testing to attract and retain millennials include fresh presentations, voice interfaces, automation, augmented reality and creating chat-like apps.
Tech To Court Next-Gen At NewsTECHForum
AP’s Andy Carvin, Quartz’s John Keefe, The E.W. Scripps Co.’s Rob McCracken and GateHouse Media’s Penny Riordan will look at how social platforms, bots and voice-enabled technologies are building audience engagement and loyalty among cord-cutting millennials at TVNewsCheck’s sixth annual NewsTECH Forum on Dec. 11-12.
The small, family-owned company, which completed the sale of its TV assets in April, has agreements to sell its remaining newspaper assets to GateHouse Media and Ogden Newspapers.
GateHouse Launches First Brand Campaign
GateHouse Media has introduced a brand campaign, “Newsroom Hero.” The campaign, which is the first in the company’s history, highlights GateHouse Media’s deep community connections and commitment to serving as a trusted source of local, award-winning news.
